GUIDING LIGHT's Maureen Garrett Comes Out Publicly

With the end of GUIDING LIGHT in 2009, the elusive Maureen Garrett, now 64, seemed to disappear altogether. She no longer felt the desire to pursue acting. She left New York and quietly disappeared from television. But now she's back, ready to let her fans know more about her personal life, in a new story from Out Magazine. She’s starting by revealing her 20-year relationship with her partner, Janet Morgan (pictured second from left).

Together the couple has raised three sons who are now happy and worldly young adults. Their eldest son is living in Stockholm and working on environmental issues. Their second son is an agro-forester in Costa Rica, where he’s working on using breadfruit for poverty alleviation. Their youngest recently graduated from college and is currently leading wilderness treks in the U.S. and Canada.

“She wore far too much makeup,” Garrett tells Out about the character of Holly, noting that her friends and family were entertained by her glamorous appearance on television: she’d arrive on the GL set straight from her cabin, clad in jeans and boots, and was completely made over. The daily transformation remained temporary, of course. “At the end of the day I almost always washed off the make-up, and with it, Holly’s brand of crazy.”

Garrett says she still approached GL’s writers about creating a storyline for Holly that involved a same-sex love affair. The result? The network wouldn’t touch it. That storyline would come several years later, in a plot involving Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia as Olivia and Natalia.

“I am very happy and fulfilled,” Garrett says of her life today, “and the kids are all right.”

Awesome. Too bad so many older actors never had the opportunity to know the freedoms that today's generation seems to be having. I applaud anyone who is not afraid to be themselves and stand up for equality.

What a nice story and what amazing children and a lovely family. Maureen I loved watching you on GL (I watched for over 40 years) and it is great to know that you are happy and found your soulmate in your personal life. Life is too short, glad you felt comfortable in letting your fans in on your life story.